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Cold Cinders
Shredded Leaves (Part I) Chapter I Lightshade crossed the clearing to where the apprentices watched her with huge eyes. "Hi Lightshade!" Jaggedpaw yowled at her. Lightshade waved a paw and turned away, intent on the pile of herbs in front of her. A young medicine cat apprentice, she had work to do. "Jaggedpaw!" she called to the young tom. "Will you help me with something?" Jaggedpaw whirled around as he heard her voice. "Sure!" he called back, bounding over. "Thanks," Lightshade said. "Now, in the reeds down at the lake, there's a pile of watermint. Bring me back some," she instructed. Jaggedpaw dipped his head and ran off. Hollyblossom padded out of the medicine den and over to her apprentice. The sleek black and white she cat stretched herself in the sunlight. "You busy?" she purred, her tone slightly amused. "Very," Lightshade replied to the medicine cat. Hollyblossom sat down and separated the leaves Lightshade was sorting. "I was wondering if I gave you something to sort that treats bellyache," she mumbled. "Dewpaw seems to be coming down with one." "I sent Jaggedpaw for watermint," Lightshade offered . "Mallow would be better," Hollyblossom sighed dryly. "Well, I guess I'll have to wait for that watermint." Lightshade's mentor padded away. "And remember Lightshade, we have to go to the Moonpool tonight." "I know," Lightshade sighed. A fern rustled from behind her. "Hi Lightshade!" Jaggedpaw yowled. "I have the watermint!" Lightshade purred, picking a reed out of his fur. "Thanks," she said as she saw the amount he had retrieved. "Rushpaw wanted to see you. Something about a training session." Jaggedpaw cocked his head as if he didn't understand. Then his eyes widened. "Ohhh," he said, dashing off. Lightshade shook her head and backed into her den, taking her herbs with her. ☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄ Chapter II "Hi Rushpaw!" Jaggedpaw greeted the tall brown apprentice. "You're late," Rushpaw teased in answer. "Hey!" Jaggedpaw tackled her and the two rolled around the clearing practicing their fighting moves. Finally they separated. Rushpaw stretched and flopped down in the reeds, her long, sleek black-streaked fur glinting in the sunlight. Jaggedpaw sat down next to her and began to wash himself. "Jaggedpaw?" "Yes?" Jaggedpaw rolled down the small grassy slope and sat up. "What do you think it'll be like to be a warrior?" Taken aback by Rushpaw's question, Jaggedpaw did a double take. "I don't know," he confessed. "I guess it'll be like... I mean..." "We might be more likely to get chosen to go on a quest," Rushpaw said, her amber eyes lighting up. An adventurous cat, she was always the first to volunteer for explorations of the area, or a trip to the mountains. "Not a lot of cats get chosen for quests," Jaggedpaw warned her. "I know," Rushpaw sighed, her daydream melting. "I wonder what it would be like to have an apprentice," she said thoughtfully, brightening. "You? Have an apprentice?" Jaggedpaw teased airily. "Hey!" Rushpaw growled, pouncing on him. They streaked through the trees, the sun warming their backs. Finally, they slowed down and entered the camp. Hollowstar greeted them on the edge of the camp. "Good sun-down, apprentices. Where have you been all day? I haven't seen you since sun-high. "We were... practicing fighting moves," Rushpaw offered. Hollowstar stiffened, then relaxed. "Oh... then you must be tired." A leader only appointed a moon ago, Hollowstar seemed to be successful in his position, though everyone knew he still wanted to be a deputy under the leadership of Icestar. "Well, be on your way then," he purred. "I'm off to catch up with the hunting patrol." He bounded away, his broad, powerful shoulders rising and falling with his stride. The medicine cats stood on the edge of the camp. All of a sudden, Fernsplash darted into the camp. The warrior was panting heavily. A split second later, two more senior warriors exploded from the brush. "Hollyblossom!" Dustyjaw yowled, slamming into the medicine cat. "What?" Hollyblossom brushed herself off, voice tinged with alarm. "What?" Bubblefall ran to accompany Dustyjaw. She whispered something to the medicine cat, and Rushpaw noticed that her usually clean dappled gray pelt was ragged and there was fur missing in patches. Hollyblossom turned to Lightshade. "You must go to the Moonpool by yourself. I'm sorry. Go, now!" "What happened?"Jaggedpaw ran up to Fernsplash, who looked terrified. Hollyblossom seemed strangely calm, in all of the hectic and scared cats that were gathered around the camp in small huddles. Rushpaw encountered her just as she was padding out of the clearing, a slight hurry to her walk. "What's wrong?" Rushpaw demanded in a whisper. "It's Nightfire," Hollyblossom replied, her voice edged with concern, but her face showing nothing of the emotion. Rushpaw's stomach lurched. "What's wrong with her?" Rushpaw gasped. "S-she... she fell on the cliffs. We know that much, but we can't find her." Only Hollyblossom's icy blue eyes displayed her fear. "It'll be best if we keep our fear under control," Hollyblossom growled, her face going blank, eyes completely losing emotion. Rushpaw swallowed and nodded, trying to wipe her face clean of feeling as easily as Hollyblossom had. Hollyblossom purred. "It's easier with practice." ☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄ Chapter III Rushpaw and Hollyblossom ran as fast as they could to the rocks with Hollowstar close behind. "There's the cliffs," Rushpaw breathed. Hollowstar caught up with them. His dark tabby pelt illuminated in the last rays of the golden-pink sun. "Stand back," he warned, his face twisted with worry. Hollyblossom whispered something to him, and his tensed shoulders fell back, his body became more relaxed. He made his way across the rocks, agile body easily springing from cliff to cliff. "Where is she?" he demanded of Hollyblossom. "We never found her," Hollyblossom replied, her white tail thrashing. "There!" Rushpaw yowled. "I see," the black and white medicine cat sighed with relief. She darted over to the silver body splayed across the rocks. It began to rain, a torrent of large drips of water falling on the cliffs loudly. "Is she alive?" Rushpaw asked. "I don't know," Hollyblossom replied solemnly. She gingerly prodded the deputy in the stomach with her paw. She lifted Nightfire's forearm in her jaws. Then she looked in the cat's mouth. "She's alive!" the medicine cat finally declared with relief. "Let me see her," Hollowstar gasped. Carefully as ever, he licked the blood away from her face and lifted his deputy into his jaws by the scruff of her neck. "Let's go," Hollyblossom murmured. Rushpaw and the medicine cat followed their broad-shouldered leader back to RiverClan camp. "Stay away," Hollyblossom warned the clan when the threesome reached camp. "Stay back." Hollyblossom accompanied Hollowstar to the medicine den. "She'll be spending the night here." The cats backed away. "What did Nightfire look like?" Jaggedpaw whispered to Rushpaw. Rushpaw irritably shrugged him off, not wanting to talk about the blood-spattered deputy. Not wanting to recall the stream of blood dripping from her mouth. She curled up with her tail over her nose. ☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄ Chapter IV "Nightfire is dead," Hollowstar looked down on his Clan from the Largerock. "She died in her sleep last night. Hollyblossom did all she could, but our deputy was far too badly wounded." Hollowstar dipped his head. "Now, may all the cats of RiverClan gather to see my appointing our new deputy." He looked down at a mottled gray she-cat with streaks of white jetting through her fur. "Fernsplash, will you be my new deputy?" "Wha--me?!" Fernsplash's eyes widened to the size of boulders. "Yes... I will... I feel so honored to be able to serve my Clan in this way," Fernsplash said, still looking spellbound. (O.o) "Fernsplash! Fernsplash!" Dustyjaw called, beginning the yowls among the clan. Fernsplah still looked amazed. Just then, Jumptail of WindClan raced into the clearing. "Jumptail? Jumptail?" Hollowstar gasped. "What do you want?" the leader's eyes hardened. "I want - I - I- I- want to - tell - you -" "Slow down," Hollyblossom reassured the small medicine cat apprentice. "Now tell us," Dustyjaw demanded firmly when Jumptail had caught his breath. "I wanted to tell you that none of the RiverClan medicine cats showed up at the Moonpool." "What?!" Hollyblossom's eyes went as wide as Fernsplash's had. "I- but I sent Lightshade to the Moonpool since I couldn't make it! She wouldn't miss a Moonpool meeting!" "I know," Jumptail said sorrowfully. "I don't know where she could have gone to." "We'll find her... maybe she got lost," Hollyblossom mused. She seemed to be trying to calm herself more than the rest of the Clan. "We'll find her. We'll find her. She can't have gone far..." ☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄ Chapter V "Hollyblossom." Hollyblossom stirred in her sleep, her head lifting slightly. "Wha...?" "Silence, young one. You are dreaming." "Nightfire?" Hollyblossom strained to recognize the voice. When she opened her eyes, her vision was flooded with light. A black and brown cat emerged from the shadows. "Hollyblossom." Hollyblossom looked in awe at the former deputy. "Nightfire." she dipped her head. "You're in StarClan." "Brilliant, Holmes. Where's some wood to knock on?" Nightfire purred. "Thanks for trying to save my life." Hollyblossom's mouth went dry. "You're welcome," she purred back. "Now about your apprentice," Nightfire said. "She was taken by rogues at the horseplace." "Rogues?!" Hollyblossom looked livid. "Why would they want her? Why would they take her?" "Apparently, they want your territory," Nightfire said. "They're going to hold her prisoner until you can come to get her. Then they're going to kill her unless you give up your territory." "How many are there?" "Four of them took her." "Four?! What would four cats need all this territory for?" "Oh there's more than taht," Nightfire meowed dismissively. "All the homeless cats in the mountains are rogues. It's just the way they live; always wanting more... their hearts turning cold, like a barren wasteland with no trees. Of only we were all boulders, and our problems would be solved." "What?" "Oh nothing," Nightfire said. "But three cats must be sent to the mountains. This is all I can tell you; when the tangle of cats is separated, only then will light return to the clans." Nightfire was beginning to fade back into the light. "Nightfire! Don't go!" the medicine cat pleaded. "It's time for me to leave," Nightfire replied solemnly. "Tell Hollowstar I approve of his choice. Fernsplash will make a fine deputy -- and maybe a leader someday." "Nightfire, no! I want to see you more now!" Hollyblossom demanded. "You'll see me again soon," Nightfire promised. "Nightfire! I need to talk to you! I need to...!" There was a blinding flash of light. Hollyblossom sat straight up in her nest. Her head bumped against a rock with a huge dip in it, full of water. "Owww..." She stretched and walked out of the medicine den. "Hollowstar?" she called when she approached the lichen-shaded leader's den. "Hollowstar?" "Yes?" "Can I come in?" she asked. There were some shuffling noises and Hollowstar poked his head out. "Hollyblossom, you do realize it's many hours before sun-up," he sleepily growled. "I know," Hollyblossom replied. "I just had a dream from StarClan. It was Nightfire. She talked to me, said she liked Fernsplash as deputy, she said rogues took Lightshade, she told me a prophecy... the tangle of cats...separated...and light will return to the clans..." "Sounds to me like we need to send out some cats. How many rogues are there?" "Four." "Four," Hollowstar mused. "So... we should send out..." "Actually, Hollowstar, there's something I forgot to tell you....." ☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄☄ Chapter VI *---- = spoiler alert! plot and ending details follow! Category:Fanfiction